Chitosan: From Organic Pollutants to High-Value

EZEQUIEL ROSSI,; DR. NORMA B. D'ACCORSO; MARIA INES ERREA; SILVIA GOYANES

Industrial Applications of Renewable Biomass Products. Past, Present,and Future

SPRINGER

Año: 2017; p. 251 - 264

Chitin is a linear polysaccharide made of N?]acetylglucosamine residues linked through ?À?]1,4 covalent bond and is the major constituent of the exoskeleton of many arthropods such as insects, spiders, and crustaceans. After cellulose, chitin is the most abundant biopolymer on the Earth and, the waste of this natural polymer, is the major source of surface pollution in coastal areas. Chitosans are obtained from chitin by partial or total deacetylation. Considering that those polysaccharides could be readily derivatized by using not only the reactivity of primary or secondary hydroxyl groups but also the reactivity of primary amino groups, chitosans are attractive raw materials for different applications, from pharmaceutical products to water treatment. Chosen properly, the modifying agent gives appropriate physicochemical properties to the final products for the above mentioned applications.This chapter briefly summarize the state of the art of chitosan derivatives for pharmaceutical and food application as well as for water treatment.